Straits Settlements

The States Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia, existing from 1826 to 1946. Now comprising parts of Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, the settlements of Malacca, Dinding, Penang, Singapore, the Cocos Islands, and Christmas Island were owned by the British East India Company before being annexed as a crown colony in 1867. In 1907, the island of Labuan, located off the coast of Borneo, was incorporated into the colony. From 1942 to 1945, the Straits Settlements were occupied by Japan during World War II, and the settlements disintegrated into the Malayan Union, Singapore, Malacca, Penang, and the Bengal Presidency in 1945.